Five years on, KMC seeks more time for Kalighat temple facelift

KOLKATA: If you are surprised to see a concrete structure at one of the entrances to Kalighat temple remain under construction for quite some time now, there are more surprises once you pass through it and enter the main temple complex.
The state tourism department had sanctioned Rs 4 crore to clear congestion and beautify the complex in 2006 and handed over the project to Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) for implementation.But five years down the line, there is no clear picture when the complex will get the new look. And the gate, billed to be one of Kolkata's iconic structures, will be as high as a five-storied building and will sport motifs of 51 piths (pilgrim spots).
Though KMC engineers are confident that the gate would be completed within six months, civic officials are still in the dark about completion of the mega project. The project was aimed at clearing congestion in front of the temple, providing basic amenities to pilgrims and arranging proper shelter for them. In five years, the KMC has just been able to build a three-storied guest house for pilgrims, that too after years of persuasion by the temple committee and priests. Sources say encroachment by hawkers and resistance from some priests are delaying the project.
According to the master plan, the KMC will set up an underground water reservoir, an overhead water tank and a pump house for providing pure drinking water, lay a dedicated drainage line to save the temple complex from water-logging and bring all shops along the road leading to the temple under one umbrella. A platform will also be built for sacrificing animals. It will be linked to the central drainage system to avoid visual pollution.
However, despite their best efforts, KMC officials failed to convince priests to cooperate with them to give the temple a new look and provide basic amenities to pilgrims. Though the state government had planned a shelter for all hawkersand local shop owners, they refused to move from their present locations.
However, KMC officials hope the project would see the light of day within a year. "Though the project has been delayed due to several factors, we are now making progress. We could hand over the guest house to the state tourism department after completion. We hope to set up all basic amenities within a year," said Pantu Kumar Dua, director-general of KMC's civil engineering department.